


If You Shall Stay Through My Worst of Sorrows

by itsOzzie



Category: The Prom - Sklar/Beguelin/Martin
Genre: F/F, Hurt/Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-30
Updated: 2019-10-30
Packaged: 2021-01-04 18:04:13
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,286
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21201833
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/itsOzzie/pseuds/itsOzzie
Summary: When Emma is sick, Alyssa is forced to take care of her and handle a temper tantrum at the same time. (But I couldn't stand writing angst at length.) How does she manage?OrGreenelan as parents: Sickfic Edition





	If You Shall Stay Through My Worst of Sorrows

**Author's Note:**

> Dear Winter 2.0 dropped and my brain went: “I can no longer process emotions of happiness. I just cried too hard, let’s write this to recover.

Emma slowly pulls her eyes open as the rest of her body jolts awake, responding to the wheeze that is her breath. Her chest and throat already ache from two days before this of being sick with whatever this was. She moans quietly, wishing for the pain to just go away. It’s loud enough, however, for Alyssa to stir a bit in response.

”Not feeling better today, huh?”

Emma forces herself to sit up a little, still shaky even though she leans on her elbows. “I can still get something done if you need help with—“ She doesn’t finish her sentence before Alyssa interrupts.

“Nonsense, Nolan-Greene. Look at yourself. Lay down, I don’t mind.”

Emma breathes a quiet sigh of relief that makes Alyssa smile. Then, as if she couldn’t hold herself up any longer, Emma drops back onto the mattress quick enough to make herself dizzy. She closes her eyes again for a brief moment as Alyssa wordlessly stands to follow the sound of two pairs of footsteps that are attempting to be quiet. Key word ‘attempting’, because they were small children.

”Hey,” Alyssa whispers once she’s in the hallway. “What are you two doing up? Don’t you know it’s Saturday?”

”Is mama better yet?” The younger child bounces around as he asks, far too loudly when you consider the time and that Emma was getting worse before she was getting better.

”No, Owen.” Alyssa sighs. He had been asking this question constantly since Emma went to bed early on Wednesday night. Early enough that even the four-year-old was awake to see her check out, almost immediately after dinner. Alyssa had been telling him since then to be quiet and to let his mother rest, but being quiet was not Owen’s strong suit. She couldn’t even have them all play the quiet game, because sometimes Emma would cough violently enough that they could hear it from the living room, and Alyssa couldn’t silently check on her wife.

”I was gonna make Mama some tea, mom,” the older boy interjected, fidgeting in a way that reminded Alyssa of the way Emma would handle being the center of attention. “To help her throat, but I woke him up.” He speaks only slightly quieter than his brother.

”I appreciate the thought, Jack, but do you think we could be a little quieter so Mama can rest?” Alyssa asked, lowering her whisper even more for emphasis.

Jack simply nodded, but Owen’s expression turns unreadable.

”I don’t wanna be quiet anymore!” His yell is loud enough to make his brother flinch.

”Owen.” Alyssa says sharply. “Don’t start with me right now.”

”Why can’t Mama go to her parents’ house like you went to grandma’s house when you were sick?!”

Alyssa falters, unsure how to explain Emma’s teenage trauma to a child as young as Owen was. They hadn’t had a reason to bring it up yet, so it was easier to avoid, because although it had been years, decades, even, it still made Emma insecure and anxiety-ridden. And she was definitely not in a decent enough state for it to be brought up now.

But she definitely heard his yell.

A few seconds later, Alyssa heard a choked sob from their bedroom.

”Oh, God.” She mumbled.

She looked at Jack briefly, as if to say, _Please help me, _and he nods again before Alyssa slips back into the bedroom to find Emma with tears rolling down her cheeks. Quietly, she shuts the door behind her.

”What’s going on, babe?” She whispers cautiously.

Emma stutters, her voice breaking and sore throat noticeable. “Am I screwing up our children by not having my parents around?”

”Emma...no you’re not.”

”But what happens if this is what they remember most? The times I couldn’t be there?”

”You’re not doing this on purpose. You can’t help that you’re sick.” Alyssa reassures.

”I just don’t want them to deal with what I did, Alyssa.” Emma’s voice breaks a final time before she succumbs to her overwhelming emotions, overwhelming pain, overwhelming fever, and the overwhelming sounds from outside, and lets herself cry fully.

”They won’t, Emma. I swear it.” Alyssa says softly, putting a hand on Emma’s forehead. “Oh, honey, I think your fever is spiking.”

”I’m really sorry,” Emma suddenly cries. “It’s just that _everything _hurts.” She says with a mucous filled cough.”

”Hey, no, don’t apologize, Emma. You’re sick. I know it hurts, but can you breathe for me? Nice and steady.”

Alyssa thinks she’s finally getting through to Emma until she hears a shriek that appears to make Emma double over in pain.

”Mom!” Comes the yell from the living room.

Alyssa groans. “I’m coming, Jack!”

The words that had been on Emma’s tongue die the moment she hears that groan. She was being a nuisance after all.

Alyssa sighed, looking at the way Owen had frozen like a statue, with Jack holding his own arm. “Owen bit me!” he suddenly screamed. 

“Did not!” Owen retorted.

”Did too!”

“Both of you, stop it.” There was more anger captured in Alyssa’s one stern sentence than she ever thought possible, but she couldn’t stand the thought that the ruckus Owen and Jack were making was hurting Emma, either physically or emotionally. To her surprise, though, they listened.

”You are being so rude, making all this noise. Has your mother ever done that to you when you were sick?”

The boys look at Alyssa, stunned into silence.

”I thought you’d say that. And has your mother ever complained about being quiet?”

More silence.

”So then tell me, why do you two get to complain?”

”Because Mama’s a grown-up,” Owen says. “And kids don’t take care of grown-ups.”

”Maybe not,” Alyssa says, “But does that mean she doesn’t deserve a little peace so she can rest and get better?”

Owen contemplates that. “...No...” he says eventually.

Alyssa silently thanked her mother for making her join the debate team back in high school. Something she never thought she’d do, if she were honest.

That was when Alyssa heard an incredibly weak call from the bedroom.

”A...Aly...ss...” Emma’s syllables were stretched apart, as if she had been struggling to get them out, and the last one was replaced with a loud hack.

”Remember that, then.” Then Alyssa slipped away a second time, where she found Emma’s face was now grey and drenched with sweat, her eyes bloodshot.

In the years that she knew her, Alyssa couldn’t recall ever seeing Emma so completely and utterly defeated, even back when she was taunted every day. Given death threats and bruises and blood and unwanted publicity, she was somehow stronger then than she looked right now. It broke Alyssa’s heart.

“Oh, Emma...”

The blonde trembles in her spot, looking miserable as she speaks, barely audible. “I’m sorry, but...”

Alyssa shushes her gently. “Don’t apologize. You need something? I’ll get it for you, baby.”

Emma shifts with a pained moan. “I thought you were mad at me.”

”At you?” Alyssa frowns. “No. I was mad at the kids for being so loud.”

”I’m sorry I couldn’t help you.” Emma says, warranting a giggle from Alyssa.

“Stop apologizing,” she says with a warm smile. “What do you need?”

”Can you get me some medicine?” Emma asks meekly after a moment’s hesitation. “And water?”

”Gladly,” Alyssa says. “Why don’t you try and rest your pretty eyes?”

When Alyssa closes the door behind her again, she is quickly met with a whisper. “Mom, I’m really sorry.” She looks down to see Owen below her.

”Thank you for apologizing, buddy. And since we’re all awake, why don’t we make some breakfast once I get your mother some medicine?”

Jack peeks around the corner, a smile on his face. “We should make sure Mama has something to eat, too.” He suggests.

Owen’s eyes light up at the idea. “She takes such good care of us that she earned it.”

”Whoah,” Alyssa says, stepping back in faux-surprise. “Is this the same young man I talked to earlier?”

”Yeah.” He says with a giggle.

The boys follow Alyssa into the kitchen, who gives them an instruction as she rummages through the medicine cabinet on the top shelf. 

“Why don’t you two think of something we can make? Think about how you can help me with it.”

Once Alyssa finds what she was looking for and knows the boys are hard at work thinking of something, she tells them, “I’ll be right back.”

Alyssa would’ve laughed at how relieved Emma was to see the bottles of pills she held if she didn’t know how rarely Emma let her walls down and let herself cry.

”I got you some sleeping pills, too, honey.” Alyssa said with a small smile. “Figured you’d want a nap.”

”You’re the best. Can you help me sit up so I can take those?”

Emma’s voice is hoarse and weak and Alyssa can’t help but notice her half-lidded eyes. She had been awake for maybe half an hour and looked as though exhaustion was bred into her skeleton.The pills she took hardly had time to get to work before Alyssa watched Emma slump over a little, completely drowsy.

“I’m gonna help you lay back down, okay?”

Emma nodded a little, wary of getting dizzy.

”I love you, Emma.” Alyssa whispers, just before Emma sinks into blissful oblivion, completely unaware of the oven turning on after Alyssa left.

An hour or so later, and breakfast has been made. The kids are barely able to contain their excitement, but will constantly shush each other. 

"She's out like a light," Alyssa promised. "As long as you don't yell."

Emma was more than a little disoriented when she woke up again. Pale sunlight seeped through the curtains, making her realize that she didn't know what time it was. There was sweat dripping down her forehead already as she forced out a breath. Her chest stung a little, she figured that the medicine was wearing off. But what shocked her was just how quiet the house was. She rubbed her eyes, wondering what had happened. Then there was a soft knock at the door.

"Can we come in?"

Emma hummed quietly, still half-asleep. She heard Alyssa laugh from outside.

"I don't know what that means, babe."

Emma furrowed her eyebrows, trying to remember what words were. Heat enveloped her whole body, and that didn't help. Still not finding words, Emma sighed loudly, causing Alyssa to laugh a little louder, which was followed by a hefty chorus of shushing. This made Emma breathe a chuckle of her own, even if it brought an endless dull burn back into her chest and throat.

"I'm taking that as a yes," Alyssa says. She can practically see Emma's heavy blink before her realization.

"Oh. Mm-hm..." Emma's words still sound mumbled and mashed together a little, but it's enough for Alyssa to quietly pull the door open, seeing Emma's slight shock at the kids behind her.

"I brought guests. If you don't mind."

"No." There's a pause that stretches just a second. "I don't."

Alyssa smiles a small grin. "Has anyone ever told you you're really cute half-asleep?"

"Mm... pretty sure... you have."

Alyssa feels the sudden urge to kiss her wife right there, but was brought back to reality by the voice of a child.

"Mama, we made you soup!"

"If you're up for it," Alyssa interjects. "It should have cooled down by now, too."

"...Okay..." Emma's response is not the best she's come up with, but she's half-asleep.

Jack smiles up at Alyssa, his eyes glistening as he asks, Mom, can we_ please _put on a movie?” He looks up at the TV in the room.

Before Alyssa can even turn her head to ask Emma, she shrugs, adjusting her pillows a little. “S’ fine by me. You wanna pick?”

Alyssa curls up near Emma and the kids opt to face the TV lying on their stomachs. They all try to think of something before Alyssa’s eyes light up.

”Have the kids not seen Aladdin?” 

Owen and Jack shake their heads.

”Well then, we have clearly failed as parents,” Alyssa jokes.

Emma’s breath hitches at that, causing her to cough until she had no air even as the movie began, but she forced herself to keep panting as Alyssa rubbed her back. “Easy, easy...”

Emma moans a little bit, and Alyssa chuckles a little, getting transfixed in the movie. “I know, I know. I know what you want.” She wraps her arms around Emma’s chest, spooning her gently, and trying to ignore how strange this was for Emma; how little physical affection she was comfortable with on a typical day. Alyssa felt Emma’s excessive warmth against her, and was almost a little on edge.

As the movie progressed, Alyssa found herself forgetting that, however, and she knew that if Emma had the strength to laugh, she would. Alyssa had seen this movie many times before, and was still completely absorbed in the story. She could tell when Emma was getting tired again, though, because she loosened her grip on Alyssa’s hand and started to blink a little more when the vibrant colors started to hurt her eyes. Alyssa glanced away from the movie just long enough to see Emma drool a little, just as ‘A Whole New World’ began to play.

“She’s asleep...” Alyssa whispered, more to herself than to the other two in the room.

That was all it took to get Alyssa to forget about the movie in front of her. Here, right in front of her, she had something picture perfect. She was living her teenage dream. With Emma. And a family. And she would keep that with her forever. 


End file.
